NJPW Star Reveals Details Of Recent Conversation With CM Punk

A top name in New Japan Pro Wrestling has shared what CM Punk recently told him about one of the company’s prestigious titles.

At the AEW-NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view two weeks ago, some of the biggest names in AEW got to face off against some of the best wrestlers from NJPW.

CM Punk competed against Japanese wrestling legend Satoshi Kojima in the quarterfinals of the Owen Hart Cup. To nobody’s surprise, Punk won the match to advance in the tournament while also showing a lot of respect for Kojima, who has been wrestling for over 30 years.

In another match on the show, the IWGP World Heavyweight Champion SANADA defeated “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry with a moonsault after about ten minutes. After the loss, Perry turned heel on his friend Hook since Perry was bitter about the loss.

The interesting thing about that SANADA-Perry match is that SANADA went into it openly wondering why he had to face somebody like Perry, who he felt didn’t deserve a title shot. SANADA has held the IWGP World Title for three months going back to April 2023.

Clearly, SANADA has a lot of respect for CM Punk, who he spoke to at Forbidden Door. While there, SANADA told NJPW’s website that Punk spoke fondly about the IWGP World Heavyweight Title.

“I got to chat with CM Punk, and he was like ‘that belt is the coolest’. You know, for a CM Punk to know who you are and what you’re doing, that speaks to how widely the IWGP Champion is known.”

CM Punk will be in action later tonight on AEW Collision when he faces Samoa Joe in the semifinals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament semifinals. The other semifinal match will see Powerhouse Hobbs face Ricky Starks. The winners of those two matches will meet in the finals of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament next week on Collision.

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